Cobblers boss Austin’s tribute to 150-up Buchanan

Boss Dean Austin has paid tribute to defender David Buchanan as the left-back prepares to make his 150th appearance for the Cobblers.

The 32-year-old will reach the impressive milestone if he is selected for Saturday’s Sky Bet League Two date with Cheltenham Town.

Cobblers boss Dean Austin

Buchanan was signed by Chris Wilder in the summer of 2015, and that has proved to be a very sound investment, with the player missing just a handful of games in his three years at the club.

Indeed, of the 144 league matches the Cobblers have played since he joined, Buchanan has started 129 of them.

He hasn’t missed a single match due to injury and only missed one through suspension, with his only lengthy spell on the sidelines coming earlier this year when he was left out of the team by then boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with Joe Bunney or Jordan Turnbull taking up left-back duties.

By the end of the season Buchanan was back in the first team though, and he has stayed there under Austin, who can’t speak highly enough of the former Preston North End man.

“As a player, David is a very, very good player for us, and I think as a person he is an even bigger influence around the group,” said the Cobblers boss.

“He is a fantastic guy, he is at the front of everything, he leads by example, his work ethic every single day is absolutely spot on, and we are lucky have him.”

Buchanan is also still one of the fittest players in the squad, if not the fittest.

“He came back in for pre-season, and I said to him ‘Buchs, how are you feeling?’ He said to me ‘gaffer, I am buzzing, I can’t wait to get started’,” said Austin.

“He said ‘I can’t wait for the first day of the season, and you wait and see, I will be the fittest here. You watch me in the first two weeks, I will be the fittest’, and he was.

“We have a really good set of lads at this club, and Buchs is at the forefront of that.”

In total, Buchanan has made 491 senior starts and 36 substitute appearances for his five clubs, with the others being Bury, Hamilton, Tranmere and Preston.